Have you had a chance to read our list of healthy habits to adopt in 2018? If not, we strongly encourage you to check it out. In fact, don’t start this article until you read that list. Go ahead, we’ll wait for you.
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Done with the list? No? Okay, we’ll give you a couple more minutes.
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How about now?
Okay, great. NOW is the time to get to know the unhealthy habits that you need to quit if you are serious about losing weight (or keeping fit!). Why are we so persistent in asking you to get familiar with the healthy habits first? It’s easy: Our brain is wired to hold onto the negative. However, if you start with something positive, the balance will allow you to remember more and get you excited for positive change. After all, we’re more likely to follow DOs rather than DON’Ts.
But the DON’Ts are equally important. Sometimes it’s the things that we don’t do that decide our success. For instance, you know that saying: “You can’t out-train a bad diet”? This is the essence of today’s article and a great example that illustrates the importance of not only developing healthy habits, but also dropping the ones that don’t work for you. Here are just a few examples of the latter:
1. STOP eating out of boredom
When studying the hunger patterns of overweight people, the researchers found that in most cases people reach for food not because they’re hungry, but because they are bored or looking for comfort. Follow this one simple rule – eat when you’re hungry! – and you will immediately feel the difference.
2. STOP skimping on sleep
Did you know that not sleeping enough (less than seven hours of sleep per night) can reduce or undo the benefits of dieting? Dieters conducted a study when they put themselves on different sleep schedules. Interestingly, when their bodies received enough rest, half of the weight they lost was from fat but if they cut back on sleep, the amount of fat lost was cut in half! And that was when all of the dieters were on the exact same diet! Moreover, when they slept less, they felt significantly hungrier. This is due to a fact that lack of adequate sleep makes you crave food, decreases your satiation after meals and deprives you of energy to exercise. As you see, the connection between receiving enough sleep and weight gain is hard to ignore. Here, at Total HealthcareMD we believe that when it comes to sleep, both the quantity and quality matter!
3. STOP being a cardio bunny
There’s a big misconception regarding cardio training. People believe that the more they exercise, the more calories they burn, therefore – the more weight they lose. But the fact is, if you force your body to exercise intensely for a long period of time, it goes into flight-or-fight mode. In other words, instead of burning the fat, it holds on to it, fearing starvation.
4. STOP drinking soda
Yes, we say that over and over again, but only because it’s true and will make a big difference. Colorful drinks are full of sugar and nasty chemicals. Your body doesn’t need that. One can of soda can contain as much as 14 teaspoons of sugar. We don’t know about you, but we’d rather have a piece of good quality chocolate cake.
5. STOP expecting overnight results
There are many miracle diets out there that promise immediate results. You know the drill: “Swallow the magic pill and wake up with a hot new body”. We call nonsense. Your body is a beautiful, complex, living organism – you need to work with it, not against it. Be consistent, make conscious choices, and listen to your body – and the results will come.
Weight loss center near Raleigh – About Total HealthcareMD
We are very passionate about helping people be the best versions of themselves. We know that it doesn’t take a revolution to change a person’s life for the better, and we want to share this approach with anyone trying to lose weight. If you don’t feel like eating kale for the rest of your life, give us a try. We guarantee you an enjoyable journey and great results. Contact us today to schedule your appointment.